


A Christmas to Remember

by LadyLionhart



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Drabbles, Christmas Fluff, Drabbles, Established Relationship, F/M, Feels, First Christmas, Flowers, Fluffy, Includes aesthetics, Language of Flowers, Reylo Feels, Romance, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-10 22:29:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8941906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLionhart/pseuds/LadyLionhart
Summary: A series of moments from Rey and Ben's first Christmas as a married couple.





	1. Snow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarlightSquadron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightSquadron/gifts).



> I wrote these Christmas drabbles as a special thank you to the incredible readers of my main reylo fanfic, [Ashes of Eden](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6757531/chapters/15443497). You guys have been absolutely wonderful this whole year, and I wanted to give you some feel-good fluffy reylo for the holiday! But do not fear, Ashes of Eden will get updates in the New Year! 
> 
> This drabble series is based on a Modern AU reylo fic I’m working on, but haven’t posted yet. But all you really need to know is that Ben and Rey are married, and Rey is a botanist who loves the language of flowers. I got most of the information of flower meanings from [this](http://thelanguageofflowers.com/) website, so I cannot guarantee that the information is correct. Also, these drabbles were loosely inspired by [this](http://kiu22.tumblr.com/post/37140678059/christmas-otp-challenge) tumblr post.
> 
> A very special thank you to my Sister in the Force, Helene, for all her endless support and love <3
> 
> Happy holidays my fellow reylo shippers!

_At Christmas, all roads lead home._

Marjorie Holmes

* * *

 

She'd fallen asleep in the windowsill.

Her lips were ever so slightly parted, her breath fogging against the glass.

He smiled, and reached out to rearrange the blanket across her shoulders. A sleepy moan rose from her throat.

He leaned in.

She smelled sweet; a lingering hint of the s'mores they'd eaten earlier.

“Rey,” he said against her temple, his nose brushing against her hair.

She mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled into her blanket.

He couldn't restrain the broadening of his smile.

“Wake up, sunflower girl,” he murmured. “It's snowing.”

Her lashes fluttered.

She gave him a half-lidded, sleepy look – he clasped her chin, and gently tilted her head to take in the view outside.

She blinked, slowly.

And he watched as the wonder bloomed across her face to chase away the lethargy. She sat up, blanket once again slipping from her shoulders, fingertips pressing against the glass.

The golden glow of the streetlights painted a dreamy backdrop to the slow sift of snowflakes.

“It's snowing... Oh, it's really snowing!”

Her fingertips were against her lips now, as they always were when something amazed her – she had the habit of hiding her smiles. “I can't believe it... it's... It's like something out of a fairytale.”

There was a tightness in her voice, and when she met his gaze he found her eyes to be misty with tears.

He grabbed her wrist, placed a kiss in the center of her palm.

Then he wrapped her in his arms.

“Worth the wait?” he asked in a soft murmur.

At first, she didn't answer, and after a moment he tried to move to gain a glimpse of her face. But she burrowed into him, refusing to let him see her as she tightened her grip around his middle.

“All the lonely years, all the Christmases I never had, or spent alone... I would do it all again, if it meant it would lead me to this moment, with you.”

A flare of warmth filled his chest, chasing away the ache of the thought of his wife, his Rey, spending her teenage years by herself, bouncing around from one foster home to the next.

But never again, would she ever have to be alone.

He'd promised her that.

And now, he placed a kiss on her hair, and relished in the feel of her tiny frame curling up against him (truly, she must have been a kitten in her previous life).

“Want to go take a closer look?” he asked.

“In a minute,” she said.

As the dappled shadows of the snowflakes danced across them, he smiled.

 


	2. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Iris_ \- Fleur-de-Lis, Emblem of France: Your Friendship Means So Much to Me; Faith; Hope; Wisdom and Valour; My Compliments
> 
>  _Begonia_ \- Beware
> 
>  _Jonquil_ – Desire; Love Me; Affection Returned; Sympathy; Desire for Affection Returned

* * *

 If he hadn't known better, he would've thought Santa's workshop had moved into their living room.

At the center of this... workshop... was his wife, sitting cross-legged on the carpet – and scattered in a wide circle around her were boxes overflowing with colourful papers, jars upon jars of shiny embellishments and all sorts of crafty accessories. She wore a roll of ribbon over her wrist like a bracelet, and her bottom lip was sucked between her teeth as she cut something intricate from glittery paper.

He leaned his shoulder against the doorway, watching as she put the scissors aside and folded open the cutting. A short string of snowflakes emerged and her entire face lit up – she took the string between both hands and held it to the dim, snowy light spilling through the window-

Then she noticed him.

* * *

Rey looked up, eyes widening as she found her husband standing in the doorway, watching her with his lips tugged into that sideways smile that always managed to make her heart feel like melted butter.

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked.

“A while.” His smile grew into a grin, and he came closer, picking his way across the field of crafty chaos – she shoved a box aside to make room for him.

He sank down into a cross-legged position, and gazed at the multiple cards she was working on. Each one was unique, but all featured an arrangement of dried flowers she'd pressed months before. They were meant to convey her special wishes for everyone and so each had their own collection of flowers.

He picked up the closest one, the one she'd been making for Finn and Poe.

“Iris,” he said, “For their friendship. And for hope...”

He looked up. “Hope for a happy ending to the adoption nightmare they've been going through this year.”

She ducked her head, hiding her smile behind the curtain of her hair before she reached forward and draped the snowflake string across his chest, hooking it across his shoulders. “One can never have enough hope.”

He smiled, watching her with something warm twinkling in his gaze and she felt the blush creep across her cheeks. Then he leaned forward, and like a cat, he twisted around and ended up half-draped across her lap, looking up at her from beneath his bangs. “What flowers are you putting on mine?”

A soft smile curved across her mouth. It grew teasing as she recalled the flower she wore in her hair the evening they'd met. “How about begonias?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of jonquil,” he murmured, his deep voice sending an enticing shiver down her spine.

She lowered her head, eyes dipping to the alluring fullness of his slightly parted lips... Her fingertips brushed through his hair- 

She stilled-

And caught the giggle before it could escape, but he must have seen the amusement pass across her face for he narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, and drank in the sight of the golden glitter sparkling in his raven hair before she leaned in to kiss him.


	3. Lights

“Can I look now?”

“No.”

“How about now?”

“Not yet.” A warm, rumbling laugh. “Watch your step.”

Ben guided her down the steps, one by one, his hands covering her eyes. She was holding onto his wrists for balance, slowly shuffling along the garden path.

“Okay, turn- slowly, that's it.”

They stopped, and he whispered by her ear. “Now, look.”

His hands dropped away and she opened her eyes.

And they grew wide with wonder at the sight before her.

All around them, there was lights: woven around the branches of the magnolia tree they'd planted earlier that year, all along the edges of her flowerbeds, twisted around every garden pot – even stylishly draped along the fence. To her left, there were prancing Orowood Deer, their legs moving to mimic them prancing through the snow – above her, the garden archway was twinkling with little lights like stars.

And the house – its gutters and window sills and the railing of the porch – all of it was bedecked with strings of lights, emitting a golden glow that made her heart sing.

Her mitten-covered hands covered her mouth. “Oh, Ben... it's so beautiful.”

He embraced her from behind, pulling her tight against his chest as she wrapped her hands over his forearms and gazed up at their home. _Theirs_. A deep wave of emotion spilled through her, misting her vision as she sniffed and turned in his arms to press her nose into his scarf.

“Hey, now... You okay?”

She nodded against him, but she didn't trust her voice to speak.

“We can change it any way you like, I just-”

“No!”

She looked up.

“I love it. I love it so much... I can't believe this is my home... This beautiful place, with the lights and the snow and... and you...”

She hid her face into his scarf again but he gently caught her chin and forced her to look up at him. “And _you_.”

She smiled. “And me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! I treasure every single one! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)


	4. Mistletoe

The mistletoe took her by surprise.

Stars, she was the one who was supposed to know the meanings of any type of flora!

Yet somehow the very Christmas-centered tradition of mistletoe had escaped her knowledge.

But _Ben_ had known (and perhaps she should have seen it coming when he'd specifically asked her for its meaning – her husband never did anything without purpose – and then after she’d told him mistletoe had a connection to peace he got _that_ smirk).

And he decided to demonstrate at the Christmas party.

They were in the sitting room before dinner, seated amongst friends and family, all with a drink in hand. Ben was standing by the fireplace when he made a toast to her and their marriage. She was already flushed and smiling like an idiot when he asked her to join him at his side.

Thinking nothing of it, she went to stand beside him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, drew her into his side, and then he looked at Finn.

“Finn, if you would do the honour please?”

Her oldest friend grinned that sneaky grin that told her he was up to nothing good.

And she realized there was definitely a conspiracy underfoot.

“It would be my pleasure.”

Finn promptly stood up, climbed on top of the chair he'd been sitting, and produced a sprig of something green from his pocket. He dangled it over their heads.

She blinked. “Is that – mistletoe?”

But her words were barely cold when her husband claimed her lips and kissed her breath away.

And suddenly everyone was laughing, and there was music in the background – _kiss me under the mistletoe_ – and though it was all at her expense she didn't mind one bit for she learned the true meaning of mistletoe that night.

Affection.

Kiss me.

And, (though this one was perhaps only her own connotation), _sneakiness_.


	5. Cold

The first sneeze came before they got into the car.

The second when they were on the highway.

By the time they got home, Rey's head felt thick and her body was racked with shivers.

Ben came round to open her door and she climbed out, but before she could make another move, he scooped her into his arms.

With a yelp of surprise, she clutched his shoulders. “What are you doing?”

He smiled, and closed the car door with his foot. “Carrying my wife to bed.”

A laugh managed to make its way to her lips. “I can still walk, you know,” she said, but gratefully leaned her head into the dip of his shoulder and tightened her arms around his neck as he made his way into the house. “Ugh, I can't believe I'm sick. I can't get sick now. I still need to bake cookies, and-”

His amusement hummed through his throat before trilling into a breathy laugh through his nose. “Don't stress over it. I'll take care of you.”

“But there's still so many things I need to-”

He turned his head to look down at her, his nose almost brushing hers. “So stubborn. All you need to do right now is rest.”

She narrowed her eyes though the motion caused them to flicker shut as she found she couldn't really hold onto her usual resolve.

She felt the chuckle rumble through him.

“ _You're_ the stubborn one,” she said, the corner of her mouth tugging into a smile. “You've _always_ been the stubborn one.”

“I needed to be, to catch you.”

When she felt herself being lowered, she opened her eyes and found they were already in their bedroom. He was working on the laces of her boots, before slipping them off.

In a couple of moments, he'd stripped her outer layers and bundled her beneath the blankets.

When he realized she was looking at him, his mouth quirked. “What?”

She smiled. “I'm just so happy to have you... my valiant knight.”

He quirked that sideway grin she was so fond of, leaned in, and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Rest, my sunflower girl.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today, because it's the season of giving :) Oh, and if you were wondering, the nicknames they have for each other are explained in the modern au fic that's set in the same universe as this. Which I hope to start posting in January some time. Thank you to everyone that's been reading, and leaving me feedback. You guys are amazing! <3 I hope you're having a lovely Christmas weekend so far <3


	6. Cookies

When Rey awoke the next morning, she became aware of the loveliest scent filling her nose.

Which meant her cold was gone, for else she wouldn't have been able to smell the cinnamon-and-sugar of freshly baked cookies wafting up from downstairs.

She got out of bed, shrugged on her dressing gown and softly padded down the stairs.

Peeking through the kitchen doorway, she found her husband bent over the counter, rolling out cookie dough. There was a batch in the oven, and another cooling on a rack – they were cut in the shapes of stars.

She quietly ducked into the kitchen, and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

For a fleeting moment his body went ridged before he relaxed into her embrace as she pressed her cheek against his warm, strong back.

He put down the roller and touched her forearm. “What are you doing out of bed, sunflower girl? You should still be sleeping.”

She snuggled her cheek against him, inhaling the scent of his bodywash and the sweetness of the cookies filling the kitchen. “You carrying me up the stairs last night must have done the trick. That, or the magical scent of Christmas cookies. Either way, I feel much better.”

She untangled her arms from him only for him to turn around and catch her by the hips.

Then he pressed his hand against her forehead and hummed. “You don't feel warm. Okay then. You're allowed to get cookies and milk for breakfast.”

She giggled, biting her lip through her smile.

With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the kitchen table and made her sit down while he poured her a glass of vanilla milk and stacked a plate full of cookies.

When he placed it down in front of her, he smirked. “Try not to wolf then down all at once. Knowing you-”

“Heeeyy,” she said, already grabbing one off the plate to dunk it in the milk. “I'm not _that_ bad.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet his as she bit into the treat – and her features glazed over in enjoyment. “Oh, it's the best thing I've ever tasted.”

He laughed and snatched one off the rack for himself – he wouldn't dare steal one of hers. As he leaned back against the counter, he shook his head at her. “You always say that about everything I make.”

She smirked up at him. “But it's true every single time. Because _you_ made it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If all goes according to plan then the last chapter should be up tomorrow. Thank you guys so much for reading and leaving me such amazing feedback! Merry Christmas and may the Force be with you! <3


	7. Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Sunflower_ – Adoration
> 
>  _Rose_ – Love
> 
>  _Primrose_ – I can’t live without you

Rey was forbidden to go into the backyard.

She wasn't even allowed to peek through the windows (Ben had gone as far as to cover them with Christmas paper).

Her curiosity was killing her.

But then Christmas morning came, and he woke her up with a cup of hot cocoa. It had a dollop of cream and chocolate sprinkles and she drank it whilst snuggled up against his side.

They stayed in bed the whole morning. Later they would go to his mother’s for Christmas dinner, but for now it was just the two of them: laughing, talking, watching _How the Snoke stole Christmas_.

Afterwards, they exchanged presents.

Little things.

Little things that were big things she never even would have dreamed of having (or giving!) during her teenage years.

She unwrapped each one with careful precision, marvelling at the beautiful paper and ribbons as much as she marvelled at the very idea of where she was: sitting on a huge bed amongst flluffy pillows and sparkling paper and wonderful presents – and _him_.

Much to her delight, he gave her the book on flower arrangements she'd been eyeing the whole year, but even better was the berry-and-hibiscus tea her mother had always loved. The tin even had the same design - bright hibiscus and colourful sprigs of berries.

And the scent was just as she remembered it.

She was a bit of a mess after that. But another round of hot cocoa and some cuddles later and she was ready to give him his presents. She sat in the crook of his arm, her legs entwined with his as he unwrapped his gifts and kissed her forehead for each one. She'd given him a box of his favourite chocolates, and cologne that reminded her of when they'd gone to buy the Christmas tree – it had a fresh and wintry scent with crisp notes of bergamot and pine.

But there was more.

She handed him a thin, flat box – its lid was covered in pressed roses and sunflower petals.

And from the way his lips curved into that slow smile – that smile that had made her fall in love with him – she knew he appreciated the significance.

_You’re like a sunflower among the roses…_

Then he undid the ribbon and opened the box.

He froze.

Inside were two tickets to the theatre, for an adaption of one of his favourite Starspeare plays. He'd spoken so fondly of how when he'd been a boy and his parents had still been married, one of his favourite things had been visiting the theatre as a family. She'd never seen the play before, so when she'd heard the performers would be in town it had seemed like the perfect gift.

Now, watching as he had yet move, she wondered if she'd made a mistake.

But then he picked up the tickets and slowly lifted his eyes to hers.

And from the almost impossible warmth and fondness in those umber hues (for her, all for her), she knew she'd chosen well.

* * *

She'd planned on telling him the news then.

But he said he had another surprise for her, and covered her eyes with a scarf.

Then he took her hand and led her downstairs, through the sitting room that carried the scent of the Christmas tree, and out the kitchen door.

The snow crunched beneath their boots as he guided her through the backyard.

When he released the scarf, her eyes went wide.

And her legs almost gave way beneath her.

In the grey light, in the softly sifting snowflakes, stood a greenhouse.

Its glass panels looked akin to frost – like the windows of an ice palace – and on its door was a big, red bow.

She couldn't move.

Couldn't think.

Her eyes found his.

“Now you'll have your very own place to grow all the flowers and plants you could possibly want,” he said.

She couldn't breathe, but somehow his name made its way to her lips.

“Ben... how did you do all this?”

He shrugged, lips in a half-grin. “I had help, of course.”

She was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold.

Before she even blinked, tears were already spilling across her cheeks.

“Hey now... I just can't do anything with you this holiday, can I?” And though it sounded like he was teasing, she could hear the lilt of concern in his voice.

A half-laugh half-sob sprang from her lips.

He reached up to cup her cheeks, his thumbs brushing the tears away.

“Come,” he said softly. “Take a look inside.”

With gentle touch on her lower back, he led her to the door and grinned. “You should have the honour.”

Her mind was reeling as she turned the knob.

They stepped inside, and she took it all in – the shelves, the empty gardening pots, the built-in misting system, the gleaming tools arranged neatly on a rack to the side.

He'd thought of everything.

And at the center of it all, there was a flowering plant.

A primrose.

_Oh._

Oh, _stars_.

Her arms crossed over her chest in the hope to quench the ache pressing against her ribs.

“I don't have the words to tell you how much this means to me,” she whispered. “What did I do to deserve you?”

In a heartbeat, he'd wrapped her in the circle of his strong arms and held her against his chest. “It's not about deserving, Rey – though you deserve only the best this world has to give. It's about the person you are. The person you've allowed me to become. The man you made me.”

He kissed the top of her hair, then pulled away to cup her face. “And no matter what, whether in this world or another, I will always love you.”

Her throat was aching when she mustered a smile through her tears and said, “Good. Because there's something I need to tell you.”

He blinked. “What?”

Her lips trembled slightly, her tears threatening to overflow again. “Soon it won't be just the two of us anymore.”

A frown twisted his brows before the realization dawned across his face.

“Are you-” He let out a little breath, his eyes wide. “Are you saying what I think you're saying?”

Now she was really crying, but by all the stars in the sky, she'd never been this happy. “Thank goodness that play is in a couple of weeks, or else I might not have been able to fit into the dress I had bought especially for the occasion.”

Then he laughed – a breathless and gleeful sound that made the whole world brighter – and picked her up in his arms and twirled her in a circle as she giggled and squealed.

When he set her down, he grinned, and placed a kiss in the center of her palm.

There were tears in his eyes.

“Oh, Rey... This is the best gift of all.”

And as the snow fell like fields of stars, turning the little greenhouse into a world all of its own, Rey’s heart sang for the family she'd finally found.

 

The End.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, you're the best. Thank you for reading, leaving kudos and comments! I truly appreciate each and every one! A special thank you to Helene, who thought of the idea of giving theatre tickets for Ben as his present, and just for her constant support and encouragement! <3 
> 
> I'm glad we could get a break form the angst, but never fear, the ansgt will be back in full swing in the next update of [Ashes of Eden](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6757531/chapters/15443497)! Oh and if you enjoyed all the flower references, go check out my reylo poem, [In another life](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6985666) where I also used the language of flowers. 
> 
> (By the way, those of you who caught all the little references to Ashes of Eden get extra Christmas cookies from Ben <3)
> 
> I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas, and I'll see you in the New Year! :D <3

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on tumblr (ladylionhartxx) or instagram (ladylionhart) if you'd like to chat, or if you want to check out my other aesthetics! Thank you so much for reading, and feedback is as wonderful as Christmas cookies <3


End file.
